Chamber of Fire: Heart of Ice
by Ranma Matsuri
Summary: Rising Investigations officer, Maes Hughes is approaching his final years at the Military Academy. But this year could prove to be difficult with his new roommate, an alchemist with a talent for fire but an attitude of pure ice.
1. Chamber One: The First Encounter

Chamber One: The First Encounter

" Hey, Hughes-Maes Hughes?! "

The tall man with slicked back black hair turned around to meet the approaching officer with a clipboard in hand. The portly man looked a bit winded from his short sprint, it was difficult to see him as anything other than a pencil pusher.

" Yes?" Maes asked lowing the duffel bag he had slung on his shoulder and adjusting his rectangular spectacles.

The officer adjusted his own circular spectacles and scanned over the contents of his clipboard. "Ahm, yes, I have your dorm number right here." He scribbled the information on a seperate pad, tore the sheet off and handed it to Maes. " Your roommate hasn't checked in yet..I think he's an underclassmen... his parents ask that you regard him kindly."

Maes' eyebrows rose at the statement. " What _era_ is that family living in? "

" I dunno... I think he's xingnese or something like that- anyway, your curfew is eleven- oh, and here's your key. Please give the spare one to your roommate when he arrives."

Maes stared at the two keys just dropped in his palm. " Hey, just what is his nam-" He looked up and saw the man hurrying away calling out for someone named Kimbley. Heaving a big sigh, he lifted his bag up and grabbed his suitcase.

_' Guess I'll have to wait until I meet him.'_

* * *

"Damn, why'd I pack so much?"

Hughes cursed under his breath as he reached into his bag once again to take out one more object in a seemingly continuous chain of junk he managed to pack. His bed was already littered with shoes, clothing, and things that went far beyond that of the bare necessities. While it seemed both him and his roommate had their own seperate drawers, he highly doubt he'd be able to stuff all his crap into one. Then it didn't help that they shared a single closet which couldn't have been any larger than 5X5 square feet. Then let's not forget his all important duffel which held some of the most sophiscated camera gear this side of the continent...

knockknockknock

The bespectacled pack rat was broken out of his query for a moment and looked curiously at the door. The soft knocking resounded as he headed towards it. _' So we finally meet the roommate.' _

He turned the knob and slowly pulled the door back just enough so he could peek outside. There was no one there.

" Huh?"

He pulled the door back some more until he had a full view of the hallway. Still no one.

" No fucking way...I know I heard..."

" Ahm, hi..."

Maes' head twitched downward into view of a head of black hair digging through a suitcase.

" Ummm... hi?"

" Oh, sorry, I just had a feeling I left something on the train... oh, here it is!"

The bob of hair rose up and tilted back revealing two dark pools of jade looking straight up at him. Maes forgetting all mannerisms took that time to examine the roommate in question. He couldn't of been no older than sixteen and stood a head and a half shorter than him. There was no doubt in the shape of the eyes that the kid was definetely from the east and had the palest skin- no wonder considering the thought-to-be-missing item was a heavy looking book on-

"Alchemy?"

A slight flush came to the teenager's face as Maes read the title of his book aloud. "Um, yeah. I've been studying the subject for quite some time... uh, can I come in?"

Though he said it politely enough, Maes still sensed a twinge of cynicism in those last words but chose to ignore it.

" Yeah sure." He said as he allowed him to enter. " Can I help you with-" Maes started then realized that there was nothing else in the hallway.

The new addition to the dormroom rolled his suitcase to the less chaotic side of the room where the other twin bed resided. "No thanks, I have everything."

_Everything_ included a large lone suitcase, a messenger school bag, and the black trench over coat he wore.

Hughes leaned on the door as it closed behind him. " Right. So make yourself at home (although you don't really have a choice in the matter, heh heh), and sorry for the mess, I've been trying to get this stuff put away for hours..."

He trailed off as he noticed the other person was staring quizzically at his camera gear. The sun was still high in the sky and shone through the soft linen placed over the balcony's entrance. Out of the bleakness of the hall and into the brightness of the room, Maes had finally noticed the long ebony bangs that fell over his bunk mate's eyes.

"... but not much progress has been made."

" I see."

Whatever fleeting thoughts Maes had at the time were replaced with annoyance at the stranger's tone.

" Well..." He started crossing his arms. " If you don't mind lending me a hand, I'll take us out for dinner later. My treat, of course. So how about it, um..."

Several moments passed and the dark brunette glanced at him but then lowered his eyes again. " It's Roy. Roy Mustang... and you?"

" ... Maes Hughes."

Roy flopped on the bed and stared out of the balcony's glass entrance. Rays of sunlight hit his skin and turned his eyes and hair into an intense auburn. Even so, there was still a stone cold aura seperating the two men in the room.

The man standing up decided to move from his position at the door and resumed unpacking his things.

" Oh, and don't worry. My regards towards you so far have been filled with nothing but kindness."

The younger man turned around towards the light-hearted sound of Maes' voice melting the silence. Maes flashed a warm smile but was repaid with a sideways glance and a switch of the head.

Obviously, there was going to be some barriers to break with this one.

Chamber One: First Encounter; The Mustang Fortess Has Appeared

* * *

If anyone has read any of my other fics, you've probably seen that I have a habit of short first chapters. (audience grunts) But hey, that only means that the other chapters will be that much longer. (audience cheers) To be honest, I know where I'm heading with this fic (hence the rating)(audience whistles) but I'm not sure how I'm going to get there so just bare with me through this and hopefully, you won't be disappointed. (audience murmurs) And hopefully I get to finish my other MaesXRoy fic if I ever get the chance. (audience murmurs) (ninja bunnies come out blaring bazookas)(audience gets real quiet)

Okay, so tell me whatcha think and the next chapter will be up shortly.

Love ya,

Ranma Matsuri


	2. Chamber Two: Liquid Icebreaker

Chamber Two: Liquid Icebreaker

" I thought we were going out for dinner."

" We are."

Maes pushed open one of the steel double doors and ushered Roy inside. The thick cloud of accumalated cigarette smoke that behaved as the building's atmosphere rushed at the barely legal easterner.

He almost turned around but Maes caught him in his arms and buried his head in his chest. The smaller man looked up at him not bothering to hide his annoyance. " I may be new here, but I know for a fact that this is definetely a bar."

Maes' citrine eyes gave off a playful twinkle. " Yeah, but luckily for you, this also is the best place on this side of town to get a decent home cooked meal -god knows you need it- skin and bones."

He held up his captive's arm to prove his point.

Roy's rebuttal: A pair of scarlet cheeks, a glare that could've turned a volcano into an iceberg, and another attempt to push past his annoying captor.

Maes easily blocked again but this time he grabbed Roy by the wrist and led him over to the counter. He released the younger man and pulled out a chair. With fierce reluctance, Roy took his offer and swiftly sat down. Maes couldn't help but heave a sigh as he took his seat as well. A familiar bob of blonde hair caught his eye and he started to wave it down.

" Hey, Fran! Over here!"

The blonde man of about twenty answered the call and was quickly leaning over the counter to give Maes a friendly clasp on the shoulder. " Hey, what's up? Summer over already?"

Maes returned the gesture. "Yeah, just got here today to settle in my dorm. I've been unpacking all afternoon so I didn't have time to go to the photoshop," he reached into his jacket " but luckily-"

" Um, who's the kid?" The wise friend cut in. Well, maybe not that wise considering he was now receiving death glares from the so-called 'kid'.

" Oh, this is my roommate, Roy. Roy, this is Francis, the guy who's been suppling my drinks for the past couple of years." Maes grinned and gave his friend another friendly clasp on the shoulder.

His roommate however provided only a slight nod and a glance in the bartender's direction. Maes' grin dropped significantly. Fran returned the nod with a slightly more nervous demeanor and quickly asked Maes what he wanted to drink.

" Hmm, bring me a scotch and..." He looked over at his companion who seemed to completely lack interest in the task at hand and showed it by facing the other way. "... a glass of milk for my 'date'."

" Sure." Francis broke free of Maes' hand and quickly shuffled off to fulfill their drink orders.

Squinting his eyes, the taller man looked back over at his disgruntled date. The younger teen still paid him no mind.

" Y'know, it wouldn't kill ya to be just a little nicer to the person who takes you out for a free meal. "

" On the contrary, I believe the deal was that I help you put away all your crap and you'd treat me to dinner in return. You're not doing me any favor, Hughes, it's only fair."

Equivalant exchange. He should've known that the alchemy freak would shove that into his face one way or another.

" Besides, being a upperclassmen, it was very irresponsible of you to pack that much anyway. There was no way you could've finished all that unpacking by yourself in a reasonable amount of time."

" Well, I wouldn't say-"

" - which in turn would've affected me getting settled into the dorm. So, in a way, you trapped me into helping you, and offered the meal as a consolation prize- "

" Now, hold on, I-"

" Whether it was intended or not, Hughes, that's how it went down."

The blonde bartender finally returned with the beverages and Maes immediately picked his up before it reached the table and gulped the stinging liquid down his throat. He slammed the glass back down on the table immediately signaling Francis to issue another one.

The blonde looked at his friend with wide eyes but preceded to carry out his request. The next one he brought actually made it to the counter. Maes took a moment to study the contents, shuffle the ice a bit, and took a small sip. Fran pulled out his pad as to take his order but only got a muttered request for two specials. He then figured it was safe to tend to his other customers and left the frightening couple alone.

Roy stared down at his glass the way someone would look after a fly was discovered in their soup. " You've got to be kidding me."

An uncharacteristic sneer stretched across Maes' face. " Well, growing boys do need their milk. And as a responsible adult, I can't very well ignore your nutritional needs."

He was almost certain his roomy would smash the glass into the back of his skull but instead he continued to stare at the dairy product with obvious disgust.

During this time, Maes found himself once again studying the younger teen. He noticed the length of his mane that touched the nape of his neck. Long tendrils curtained his pale face but aburtly stopped at impossibly long lashes. '_Did the kid miss a haircut or something? Did he even cut it at all?'_ His eyes wandered down to the pair of gloves that hung out of the right pocket of his trench. '_What the hell are those for?'_ There were way too many questions arising about his strange bunkmate and the boy was not giving up the answers.

The outing was definetely going totally waywards from Hughes's original game plan. The whole reason Maes had thought of the dinner compromise was so he had an excuse for taking this stranger out to dinner. It would've been too weird to ask him straight out and he had hoped food and alcohol would loosen the tension that seemed to have been stuck between them like a storm cloud since they first locked eyes. Back at the dorm, even though Roy was helping him with his things, the barrier that had instantly separated them into considerably two dimensions of the same room remained as the younger man did not once make eye contact with him. When he'd ran out of room to store his clothing (as he predicted), Roy offered him his last 3 drawers (his own clothing had only taken up the first two). Maes thanked him though it seemed to be more of a gesture of praticality than generousity. When he rambled on about his own life hoping it would inspire Roy to give details about his, those jade eyes remained unmoved and those pale pink lips stayed closed.

And when their finger tips almost touched in the effort of reaching for a pair of shoes, the latter's creamy hand instinctively recoiled and reached for a pair of socks instead.

What was he- _afraid_ of him?

The question was immediately cast aside when Roy pushed the offending liquid away and cut his eyes at Hughes.

" My _nutritional_ _needs_ are none of your concern. In any case, alcohol consumption is the very least of mine."

Ears perked and something mischievious flickered in those lime flavored eyes. Was that a _challenge_?

" Think you can hold your drink, kid?"

Unflinching, he replied; " It's _you_ I'm worried about, old man."

Along with the comment came the ghost of a sly smirk that slid across the Xing's handsome features. Something about that action caused a slight pang in the elder teen's gut. _' Must be hunger. I hadn't eaten anything since I got off the train.'_ But a smaller voice told him otherwise and he quickly shook the thought away.

Once Francis made his way over to them with their food, Maes sent him off again for a bottle of scotch and another shot glass. The blonde's fushica eyes blinked at him oddly but without question he came back with the items, placed them between his two customers and was about to hurry off...

" Yo, Fran, we need you for a few."

A low groan. " For what?"

" Pour the drinks."

He did as he was told and looked from Roy to Maes as each of the young men picked up the glasses and held them to their lips.

" Seriously, Maes?"

Giving Roy a coy glance, Maes jeered to his friend; " No biggie, I just need to teach this boy a lesson about playing with grown-ups."

* * *

_Half an hour later._

21 glasses... and the kid showed no signs of it.

Maes himself had only had fifteen and he could barely stand upright on the counter. How much alcohol was the lethal dose? As if it mattered, he couldn't possibly have another or risk passing out on the floor. He hadn't even touched his plate while Roy had snuffed at his but then nibbled away a good portion of it.

That snobby bastard was un-fucking-believable.

" Had enough, sensei?"

Sensei? What language was that? Hughes shook his head only making his slight dizziness completely overwhelm him.

" S-s-oooo, you've had a f-few-ew dw-rinks be-for b-i-ig del.." His forehead promptly hit the edge of the marble counter top.

And once again, another plan of his failed. Usually getting information from a drunk was like draining water from a faucet, but the kid had not allowed one defense to fall and it was Maes who ended up wasted and sprewing like moron.

It was Francis who finally ended the pitiful battle and called match in Roy's favor. A defeated Hughes pulled out his crumbled bills for the tab and tried with great valor to get up. Needless to say, he failed in his attempt.

" Hm... if I remember correctly, you said you were going to teach me a _lesson_? Well, lesson learned for today, if you can't hold your drink, please refrain from challenging your better. Now, are we going home or not?"

A huge groan was released from the older teen and his words were muffled. " Alright, smartass. No one's exactly stopping you from walking there yourself."

" Well, being the _responsible_ adult in this case, I assume it would be your job to lead us home."

Another groan.

" After all, what kind of respectable upperclassmen lets his freshman classmate go around town in the middle of the night without the slightest clue of where he's going?"

Fed up with his taunts, Hughes decided it was time to go before he was charged with first degree murder. His next attempt to get up, ended with him tripping over the bar stool and nearly slamming his head against the counter. Out of the horde laughs that ensured from spectating eyes, he could've sworn he heard a light chuckle emit from the stone cold figure beside him.

But he had to be hearing things, right?

-

Sometime later, they managed to make it back to the dorm unscathed.

Not bothering to remove his glasses or any of his clothing, Hughes fell onto his now empty bunk save for the appropiate bedding. He called out a cheerful goodnight but only got the slam of a bathroom door in response.

There was no way this day happened. There was no way he actually had to share a room with_ that... _for a whole year?!

Whoever this Mustang character was, he had _major_ social issues.

Living with this guy was going to be a challenge, but if Maes Hughes was anything, that was determined. And one way or another, he was _going_ to crack the code of Roy Mustang, even if it took all semester.

Chamber Two: Liquid Icebreaker; Hughes' First Attempt at Penetration. Failed.

* * *

Hm, I wonder if I made Roy_ frosty_ enough. I thought it would be ironic for a character who deals with fire to have an ice queen complex. You did see the irony, right? (audience gives blank stares) O... kay. If you were wondering about the use of japanese, I wanted to make Mustang seem as exotic as possible and I wasn't exactly sure what a Xing country's language would be. So I went with what came natural (well, semi-natural) to me. (audience still stares blankly) N... nevermind.

I love opinions especially when they belong to other people. Onegai, read and review and give me yours. Arigatou.

Aishiteru,

Ranma Matsuri


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